Page:Old ninety-nine's cave.djvu/125

 door, calling "chick-a-dee-dee." Mr. De Vere laughed heartily, for they brought to mind a picture of his boyhood days; the old schoolhouse in the woods where every known mode of punishment, from "toeing the crack" to flogging, was resorted to, making the woods resound with yells. Then on a Friday afternoon after "spelling down," the grim old schoolmaster produced a well-preserved accordion, tilted his chair against the wall and held his unwilling audience by "chick-a-dee-dee," his only tune.

Reaching the barn, they found Reuben busily engaged skinning a half-dozen rabbits which had been caught in his traps the night before, and his mouth watered as he thought of rabbit pot-pie with the white puffy balls "all afloat in brown gravy." The rabbits had barked several young fruit trees and committed depredations which made Reuben vow he would exterminate the vandals. As the others came up, he exhibited his trophies and exultantly exclaimed, "Dar now, I reckon I've settled dem tieves."